Donetsk People’s Republic defense ministry: Kiev pulling heavy weapons to border with republic

Although Ukrainian military says heavy weapons have been withdrawn from the border with the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Kiev continues pulling heavy weapons close to the engagement line, says Eduard Basurin, the representative of the DPR Defense Ministry.

 “The DPR Armed Forces intelligence continues reporting facts on shifting of the heavy weaponry and manpower of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.  12 pieces of the BM-21 Grad (Hail) multiple launch rocket systems have been moved close to Slavyansk,” the Donetsk News Agency quotes Basurin as saying.

The intelligence also reported that a 2S7 Pion self-propelled gun was moved via the settlement Konstantinovka to the southwest, a DANA wheeled self-propelled artillery piece and a BM-21 Grad system were revealed in the populated areas Tsukurino and Lebedinskoe.  Earlier, on Monday, the Defense Ministry said the military pulled Grad systems close to Andreevka, near Donetsk.

Under the Minsk agreements, the conflicting parties were to pull back heavy weapons from the line of engagement to create a buffer zone between them of at least 50km for artillery of 100mm caliber or more, 70km for multiple rocket systems and 140km for the heaviest rockets and missiles. Weapons are to be pulled back equal distances on both sides: Kiev from the current line of contact, while DPR and LPR - from the line registered by the Minsk Memorandum of Sept 19.

EADaily reported earlier that Ukrainian forces have been intensively shelling at the populated areas of DPR these days, using heavy artillery and MRLS.